Ami let out a ragged breath between clenched teeth. The shop was closed, inventory tallied, the petticash securely tucked into her pocket. It had been swept, wiped, organized. She pulled in a deep breath, fingers dancing at her side as she gave a last assessing look to the dark shop.

Where was Rei?

Her fingers suddenly itched, aching for the feel of black silk to run through her fingers. She grunted, running a hand through loose blue locks as she locked the door behind her, making her way across the square to the living complex.

She entered the house with a long sigh, slightly disappointed that it was time for shop closing. She'd fallen into the habit of it pretty easily, spending the downtime keeping track of inventory, and when that was done, even started keeping a book hidden underneath the counter for quick cramming.

Her palms itched, sweaty. Her feet felt over-sensitive, hot against the cold wood flooring, even through her socks. She entered their bedroom with a huff, dropping her study notes onto the desk and unceremoniously shedding layers of the traditional clothing to the floor. For a short moment, she stood in the expanse of space, letting the cool of the open room lick lightly at her exposed skin. Her eyes took in the clean room, roving over the pile she had created as she pulled on a more comfortable pair of purple workout capris that she had since claimed as her own.

She moved to the closet, dropping the hakama in the hamper and finding it otherwise empty. Impatient hands slid the closet door harder than they should have, and she threw a loose, collar-less shirt on to spend the rest of the evening in. The fresh fabric was cool and light against her skin and she sighed, thankful for the light fabric. Her eyes roved over to the desk, where her notes and studies sat neatly tucked into a corner, but she immediately dismissed that idea with a roll of her eyes, grabbing the envelope of petticash with a quick swipe and heading back out the door.

She poked her head into various rooms as she made her way through the house, but found them all empty. A light slid beneath the doorway of Grand-pa's room, but she decided against it, turning back down the hall.

Why was she so hot?

She tried to ignore the heat on her face, fanning herself with the cool fabric as she poked her head in various rooms, relishing the feel of the cool hardwood floor upon her bare feet. She ignored the growing knot in her stomach as each room turned up dark and lonesome. The house was empty and quiet, except for grandpa roaming around in his bedroom. Usually she just dropped the envelope in the study and retreated to her room for some last minute studying, but her ears felt like they were ringing and she had an itch inside her skin. She slapped the paper down with a huff, the sound ringing in her ears and making her jump at her own motions. Her gaze fell to the envelope beneath her hand; it slid easily along smooth surface and she lifted her hand away, centered upon the dark wood. Dark orbs blinked at the envelope and the peculiar stain of her hand upon the clean white paper. Shaking her head, she turned away, shaking her palms in the cool air against their engulfing heat.

The quick walk calmed her shaky nerves, the soft breeze was cool against her face as it whispered against her and danced between the trees. The only sound was her bare feet against the cool cement, and the wind as it brushed against her and slid like cool silk between the leaves.

Of course the yard is empty, the temple's closed for the night. What did you expect?

A huff escaped her lips as slanted eyes took in the dark rooms of the temple. She pulled an angry hand through blue locks as she turned away, but something stopped her mid-step.

Blue eyes took in the flickering light, soft and tumultuous as a slice of it danced against the pale, moon-lit hallway. Her ears were ringing, buzzing, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. She felt heady, potent, and the blood rushing inside her thrummed, echoed with each beat. Dimly, she realized she was standing in front of the light screen; the paper of it warm with a beating, breathing fire. The line of flame peeking through the crack danced and spun upon her palm, and she pulled in a full breath. The door slid soundlessly along its track. She swallowed against a paper-dry throat, her eyes sweeping over the room that felt pulsing, dancing with the life that settled in its center. The hearth raged with avidity, the crackle and hum resonating from it echoing against her own ribcage.

The genius forced out a heavy breath, as a wave of heat rolled over her possessively. Her skin felt like it was crawling, humming against her and her eyes watered as she opened them against the swallowing heat.

Rei.

The girl sat statuesquely, perfect posture balanced upon a razor spine, palms stone as they laid open upon knees. The only evidence of life was the shallow, slow rise of breath. The flame practically licked at her, grasping voraciously, hungrily at her calm features, a peace upon them she had never seen before. The sparks, hungry and lustful, leapt from the greedy flame, sending warm flares of light across blushed cheeks, leaving Ami with a series of sharply contrasted stills. Small flakes of ash settled upon her, and her dark locks wafted around her in warm currents, weightless in the heady room.

"Wanna join?"

Did she know I was here the entire time?
Ami blinked, dazed from the deep heat and the stillness of the miko before her. Her figure was still frozen, fixed in the weaving currents of the heat, her breaths shallow and barely perceptible, making Ami wonder if she hadn't just imagined her voice. So focused on the beauty before her, Ami hadn't seen her speak. Rei's eyes still laid closed, her features calm beneath the waxing flames.

Ami let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, crossing an ankle and shaking her head softly as she rested it against the doorframe. Rei was the definition of beauty; a portrait of elegance as the flames danced across her features, of femininity; the soft curve of her back rising with each shallow breath, the white of the hakama an orange hue under the licking flames. The long, angular curves of her features exotic, entrancing under the warm light; the soft lines of her face mesmerizing.
"It's burning up in here. Come outside... it's cool out tonight."

Rei's eyes fluttered open and blinked into the flame, the light reflecting hazel against amethysts. It was bizarre, the way her features came alive; the eyes inflamed with life, even as the rest of her body remained marble. The miko turned her head, her intense gaze falling to Ami for the first time; the light of her eyes almost blinding against the backdrop of the crackling fire. A soft smile pulled at the corner of her lips, the flames dancing in her eyes, and Ami forgot how to breathe.
"Tempting. Why don't you give this a try this first?"

Rei moved from her stately pose, her movements flowing slow and patient, freeing her legs from beneath her and patting the floor in invitation. It didn't break the spell of beauty. Gulping, Ami realized she was gingerly stepping into the warm room, yearning for the warmth of the raven before her. The floor was alive with flame, refracting from the floorboards in greeting as she stepped closer.

She could feel Rei's watchful gaze upon her as she made her way to the hearth, settling down next to her complacently. The room was so thick with heat that she didn't even notice Rei slide closer until she felt the soft mane of hair brush against her neck; Rei's soft whisper against her ear. "Close your eyes."

She obeyed, but her body involuntarily clenched when she felt herself slide across the wooden floor, the warmth of Rei becoming solid against her back, the soft fingers against her waist, a warm leg gracing each of her own. "Breathe." said a soft whisper in her ear. She pulled in a fervent breath through clenched teeth, the brush of Rei's gentle touch as she lead her hands, readjusting them where they lay.. A soft hand pressed against her back and she followed its lead, relaxing into the touch. "No. Breathe." The hand graced up, following the line of her spine, and she let out a long breath as the strain fell from her body.

"Again." She obeyed, as the conducting touch of Rei guided her, pulling the taut from her muscles with each soft contact. "Deep breath in. Cleansing breath out." She looked down to find her hands grasped in the miko's, warm steady breath against her neck as she guided the fingers together, a steeple from her indexes. "Rin. Strength of Mind and Body." Ami nodded, and Rei gathered her fingers together again, clasping them into another position. "Pyou. Direct my Energy." Rei's voice was soft and fluid against her ears, the heat of the room and Rei's warmth grounding her in the lilting room.

"Tou. Harmony with the Universe..."

Ami nodded against the voice upon her ears, following Rei's movements with rapt attention.

The sound of steps upon the temple stairs sounded hollow, clear against the blue sky. Rei's heart jumped in her chest as soon as she heard the familiar beat of them but she ignored it, focusing on her own steady movements as she dragged bristles across smooth cement.

Makoto bounced up the last couple steps almost effortlessly, her voice soft as she caught her breath and stopped in front of the miko.
"Okay, okay. I'm here. What's up?"

Rei swallowed, afraid to look up at the woman as her heart beat like a drum in her chest. Why did I even call her here? This is stupid.

The amazon let out a content sigh, leaning against the railing as she cast her eyes around her. The trees were taking on their gentle shade of pink and littering the stairs with their beauty. Her eyes traveled up, watching the rain of the petals and she smiled to herself as one pebbled down her features softly, closing her eyes as a light breeze blew across her long features. She fluttered her eyes back open to see Rei still sweeping mechanically.
"Where's Ami today?"

Rei gulped, standing up straighter as she turned sideways, hiding her face behind a long mane of raven hair.
"She's... ah.. at cram school right now. She'll be home later."

The miko turned her back to the amazon, focusing on the broad strokes before her as the silence ticked on behind her.

"...oh. Did... did you guys break up?"
Exasperated, Rei pulled her figure up, stilling the relentless motion and leaning on the broomstick as she gathered her courage. Kami. Just tell her. Desperate as the hot blush still covered her cheeks, she turned around to face the amazon, eyes firmly planted upon the stairs beneath their feet.
"No. It's just... she's scared."

Makoto shrugged, but hesitated when she took in the the dark tint to Rei's features. With a sigh she cast her eyes back up to the sky. "Well.. It's Ami."

Rei sighed to herself, throwing caution to the wind as she tucked the wisps lilting lightly against her face behind her ear.
"No. I can feel it. It's just.. It's different. I can't breathe."

"Oh."

Rei finally brought her eyes level with the amazon's but they only stared at each bleakly across the wide space. When it was clear the amazon wasn't going to volunteer any advice, she threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Well?"

Makoto only shrugged back helplessly.
"Uhm.. I don't know! What do you mean, 'well'? How should I know?"

The miko rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the steps as she resumed her motions, muttering more to herself than the amazon.
"I should've called Minako."

"NO! Nonononono!" Makoto jumped, waving her palms in protest as she searched for words. "Who knows what kind of weird advice she'll give you. Just... slow it down. I bet it's nothing, she's just... nervous. Y'know, it's kind of a big deal: first love, coming out, sexy bits... and we're talking Ames here. You gotta give her time to get acclimated, right?"

Her motions paused, and the blush returned to her cheeks as she pulled the protesting words from her lips.
"It's not... I mean, I can tell that... She does like it..."

Makoto dropped her posture, interest clear on her features as her eyebrows climbed into her auburn locks. "..it?"

Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
"...well, you know..."

"How could I?"

She sighed, spitting the word from her mouth as the petals danced and skittered across the cement. "...Kissing."

"...and?"

" ...hugging...?"

"Aha..?"

She grunted.
"...and maybe, just maybe, I woke her up from a bad dream, and she maybe pushedmedownandevenclimbedontopofme. ...But then she just... froze. And the panic was cold and helpless and she just... stopped. She... rolled over and went to sleep, like we had been talking about homework or something. It was weird."

"...Huh."

"I thought it was just the one odd time.. and I tried to ignore it, but she just feels so... different. Just.. not Ami. And then the other day, she just got off and left."

"...Huh. ...Wait, what!? - She got OFF?"

"She was sitting on my lap, dink! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Oh. Right. ...Huh."

Rei let out a sigh, and there was a companionable silence as Makoto pondered this.

When she did finally speak coherently, her words were slow, studied. "Just take it slow. She's probably just... figuring it out as she goes, right? I mean, this is Ami - the pre-planner. And like you said, none of this was planned, and it's not like you can... predict it. Not this. Let her come to terms. Besides, it's Ami's first time, you know."

Rei shot her a glare that caused the amazon to backstep, and she resumed her sweeping with a bit more force than was necessary, causing the amazon to cough and sputter at the whirlwind of dust. "It's mine too, you know."

Rei slid the door open with a quiet sigh, padding soundlessly across the room on nimble feet. Her eyes swept over to the bluenette sitting quietly at her coffee table, pencil scribbling away. When the genius didn't flinch or even react, Rei shrugged, continuing her trek past her to the waiting laundry bin.

She paused when she saw the neat pile of Ami's own dirty laundry that sat neatly beside her own hamper. With a shrug, she gathered those and added them to her own before picking bin up to head out the door. She hadn't realized she was searching the blunette until Ami called her on it.

"I can feel you in my head, you know. ...Snooping."

Rei flinched with a soft curse, dropping the bin mid-step and stumbling over it. Her figure was still hunched, bowed and she turned around slowly to see Ami regarding her with a studied expression, a low blue flicker in her eyes harboring an intensity that was not usually there..

The miko gulped.
"I.. ah..."

The blunette cut her off, her eyes furrowed and far-off as she examined the feelings.
"I can feel it. The curiosity. Worry. Protectiveness."

Ami blinked back up at her, eyes refocusing as comprehension flitted across them. When Ami spoke again, her voice was a whisper of awe, and Rei could only blink back at her in wonder. "You're worried about me. I can feel it."

Rei gulped, and for a long second they stared at each other across the room, feeling each other and in awe of it. Finally finding words, she licked suddenly dry lips, swallowed to quench a parched throat.
"I'm.. sor-"

The genius shook her head, cutting off the apology with a wave of a hand. When Ami spoke, her eyes were hard with the truth of it and Rei found herself trapped there.
"Don't. I love you. All of you. I just... have to get used to it."

Rei nodded dumbly, and eventually Ami turned her attention back to the text before her. Rei was left to stand there in the silence, listening to Ami's raw emotion slowly giving way to the cool logic of the book before her. Finally, she picked up the bin again before heading back out the way she came. She paused with one foot out the door, unsure of what to say to her next.
"I'll... call you when dinner's ready."

Ami didn't respond, so she slid the door shut behind her and hoisted the bin to hip before heading back down the hallway.

She said she loved me.

Minako grinned to herself.
6 minutes already...

It'd been 6 minutes since Rei and Ami had left for the kitchen. Ami had volunteered to help Rei brew up some more tea for the group.
Smiling, Mina whistled to a tune she made up on the go and scribbled some "R+A" into a heart on the margin of her notes page.
They are sooooo cute!

A huff from the opposite of the table made her lift her head.

Usagi stared pouting at the empty bowl in the center of the table.
"Who ate my cookie?!"

A laugh from her left, Mako.
"You, Usako. But I have more. Let me grab them."

Before Mina could react, Mako had picked up the bowl and was already out of the room, heading for the kitchen.

"Awesome! I am starving!"
With that, Usa bounced up from her spot and tumbled after Mako.

For a short moment, Minako just stared at the empty spot before her. Then her eyes widened. "HEY! Stop!"

She ran after them as fast as she could and barely caught up with the two in front of the agape kitchen door. Mako held her arm outstretched, effectively blocking the way for Usagi who busied herself peeking through the gap.

Mako blinked next to her, staring ahead, then took Usagi by the collar and dragged her back.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Mina slipped past Mako and took a peek herself.

She grinned.

A hushing sound and a pull at her elbow tore her away from the adorable sight.

A moment later, they were back in Rei's room. Finally, Minako let her delighted giggle bubble up and shot Mako a knowing wink but the taller girl only stared at the floor between them.

"Awwww," Usa cooed. "Ami and Rei hugged. Such great friends!"

Makoto sat silently beside her. She looked like she was working out a particularly difficult math problem. "...Huh."

Mina smirked. "Sure. Hugged. Friends."

Usa cocked her head thoughtfully. "Wait, did they kiss? It looked almost as if they were kissing... Friends kiss, right?"

Mina grinned, laying a head on elbow as she studied her twin. Could she really that naive? "Yeah, Usa. Friends totally kiss."

The fire flickered, breathed with its own life. With a shake of her head she closed the door, shutting it and its power off into the confines of the fire room. A grunt escaped from her throat, and her eyes cast across the hallways of the dark temple, already plotting her next destination.

It was cooler in the living quarters, the house was quiet as she toed off her shoes and cast her eyes around the warmly lit room. Dinner sat waiting in a pot, cooling on the stove, but no one had bothered to eat it yet and she didn't feel hungry either. The dark grip of her fire still settled in the pit of her stomach; licking at the inside of her skin and she found it unsettling, as if she carried another presence within her.

The wood of the floor was cool beneath her feet, and she found herself thankful for its smoothness as she treaded through the quiet hallways of the house. Usually she enjoyed her time with her Fire; found it calming, a place to let The Flame do its fiery will; to unleash itself, and for her to lose herself within in it. Today, the fire had breathed into her and she had let it, but she still felt rushed, an itch, a quiver beneath her fingers she couldn't quite place. The Fire had felt haughty, impatient with her, and after an undetermined amount of time she had given up, the frustration clawing at her with hasty fingers.

She paused in the hallway, listening to the silence and feeling the energy of both her Grandah and Ami waft through the house. She blinked, the cool of Ami dripping over her and she smiled, reveling in it for a short moment. She wanted to follow the pull of it but shook her head, the Flame edging and gnawing at her senses and she turned away, letting it seep off herself as she wandered the quiet house.

She poked her head into the office, flicking on a light and stepping in, swiping a hand through a fresh stack of papers. Tallies and statistics, written in Grandah's fine hand sat tucked into a corner on the desk. Nodding in satisfaction, she turned away, smiling to herself as she took in the smaller envelope atop, Ami's neat scrawls braiding across it.

The persistent clinch of the Flame finally relinquished its hold on her, allowing a full breath to pass through her lungs and her eyes closed in relief. She flicked the light of the office off with a satisfied nod, surrendering herself to the pull of the cool tranquil and turned down the hall in determined steps.

The air of the bedroom was noticeably cooler, unnaturally so, due to its other inhabitant. Rei smiled to herself as the door slid back shut behind her, taking in the view of the blunette buried within a sea of texts, littering the entire surface of their bed. Ami sat forlornly in the center, hunched over as she leant over an open book and scribbled away into a notebook. The raven stepped deeper into the cool room with a light greeting, grateful once again she was dating the ice senshi of all elements.

The girl continued scribbling away, trance-like, and Rei realized Ami hadn't even noticed her entrance, immersed in the texts before her. Curious, the miko stepped closer, squinting at the book the genius was so intently focused on.

The books were spread about haphazardly, a mosaic of them clawing, piles gripping along the bed like hungry vines, Ami at the point of origin. A glance across the different texts told her that it wasn't just one subject, but several. Huh. All of them, actually. And Ami studied almost religiously at the desk or office, citing the importance of 'keeping passive and active brain activities separate is beneficial for healthy sleep patterns'. So why was she swimming in school-books in bed?

The silence gave the miko a chance to probe at the girl before her. Rei frowned, testing at their links until the she could see the aura of her lover easily. There was unease, frustration, but most prominently was a sense of craving, eagerness, anxiety for... something. Rei moved closer, trying not to knock over any of the towers of Ami's Book Fortress Of Solitude.

The genius didn't look up even after Rei was standing over her, so she leaned closer, squinting at the text so vital to the ice senshi. Ami's eyes had an intensity she hadn't seen before and Rei stopped to study her soft features, unusually hardened by the task before her. Smiling, Rei stroked a cheek with soft pad of thumb, the curiosity edging into worry. The last time she had found her like this, the genius had panicked and ran...

Ami flinched, gasped and shot her a surprised gaze. The miko returned the stare, listening to the swirl of Ami even if she didn't speak.

"Hey." Rei smiled, pushing some of the books aside to scoot in their place on the bed.

The genius seemed to find herself, the emotions washing across her features and over Rei so erratically that she didn't bother trying to place them. Instead, Rei tucked her knees beneath her, getting comfortable and leaning weight on fist against the soft mattress with an air of patience about her. "You okay?"

The blunette's eyes cleared and she nodded wordlessly, the confusion still clear upon her face. Rei nodded back, waiting for words but none came, Ami's eyes swimming before her.. Confusion bubbled to the surface, clearer than any other emotion and Rei settled with investigating this one. She raised a cautious, patient hand, hoping not to scare her away like she had the last time she'd witnessed Ami this confused.

"You sure, yo-"
Her finger was delicate against Ami's cheek but the genius flinched nonetheless. Yet, instead of bolting, Ami caught the miko's fingers within a tight grip, settling her with a look she had never seen before. And then Rei felt it - a warmth, a hunger that she knew was not her own.

Ami's lips were greedy, ravenous against her already flushed lips, nibbling, teeth scraping, almost biting into her. She suddenly realized that Ami's hands were upon her, hot and hungry, possessive fingers wrapped within her collar, holding her firm and captive. Once she got over her surprise, she readily melted into it, pleased at this sudden change of the girl she thought she knew so well. Her own fingers had somehow come to drag through blue locks, and she gasped when the smaller girl's ongoing charge caused her to lose balance and they both almost tumbled backwards.

Ami leaned heavily against her, pressing, pushing them both back, and Rei had no choice but to leave her hand pushed into the mattress, anchoring them both in place. She wanted to move closer, to readjust, to run her fingers across the warm flesh of Ami's skin, to feel the soft silk of blue hair thread between her fingers, to feel the heated rush of pulse beat against her own. She wanted to run her tongue across the soft expanse of flesh, to drive that pulse racing beneath her fingers faster. But Ami was leaning over her, trapping her, and she had no choice but to surrender to the will of Her. She pulled in a desperate gasp of breath, strained between teeth as she swam within the sensations that were Ami, allowing her supporting elbow to buckle and sink against the bed. Her hand moved of its own accord, dragging tips down and along ribs, clawed down hip to steady the body above her at waist, aimlessly sliding across bum and thigh, gripping against the searing hot flesh there in a greedy hold, pulling and claiming... The blunette followed hungrily, straddling her. The strong grip against her collar tightened, commanding, locking their bodies together.

Ami broke the kiss with a heated rush. Rei tried to follow, but the authoritative grip within the fabric of her collar held her in place, leaving her to longingly pull in the air in Ami's wake through still parted lips. Rei's heart was clawing, drubbing against her throat and she couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs. She let out a shaky breath, taking the forced moment to take in the still that was Ami. On top of her. Her hair was ruffled from the longing touch of Rei's needy fingers. Her eyes held a dark tint Rei had never seen before and Ami's lips were swollen and red from passion. She blinked, watching the heave of Ami's raspy breath echoing her own, and Rei noticed the arm beneath her shaking and the light, chilling shiver running through her own body.

Desperately, she pushed herself up, eager for more of her precious' touch. But Ami flattened palm against her collarbone, pressuring it and Rei stopped accordingly; a questioning look in her eyes as Ami increased the distance between them, pulling her own body back. Rei blinked up at her, waiting, watching the flood of emotions wash over her beauty's face.

Ami swallowed, lucidity edging into her features and her eyes fell away, deeply studying something beneath her fingers. "You must be burning up..."

Ami's hand fell away completely, a distant look on her features and Rei suddenly felt shy as Ami edged away, tucking herself back into the nook within her books. The miko gulped, readjusting to sit up straighter as Ami pulled away, grimacing as she extracted herself from sticky pages and pointed covers of books. Her heart beat so hard in her chest she wondered if Ami could hear it, her throat was sand-paper dry and she yearned for the girl's touch; but something told her to stay where she was.

The blunette leaned over, pushing a strand of hair away before straightening Rei's collar but she refused to meet her eyes; her words a mere whisper..
"You got too close to the fire again.."

Rei swallowed. Her cheeks were still on fire. Her own voice startled her - it felt like sandpaper dragging across rough glass. "Yeah.. I forget."

Ami's hand fell away and she was herself again, the heated pressure of Ami's presence fading away to a less oppressive level. Rei risked a glance up; but the beauty had returned her attention to the book before her, a pen dancing rhythmically along fingers, a deep blush bright beneath blue locks.

The miko stood defeatedly, unsteadily balancing on quivering legs, stretching to relieve the tense muscles around her prickling scabs; fighting her heart back down as she wondered if the girl before her was reading anything at all. Rei pressed her lips together, taking in some deep, cool breaths, trying to steady herself. At least, Ami's back sat straighter now and the heavy weight seemed to be gone from her shoulders. Rei waited, uneasily shifting her weight between feet, but the girl didn't acknowledge her again and with a sigh Rei turned away, grabbing a fresh towel and heading back out for a cold shower.

She slid the door shut behind her, the water sprouting steam across the room and she suddenly found herself thankful for the solitude.
Well, that was beyond weird...

She grunted, dunking her head beneath the water.
What was that, even?

Rei grinned, enjoying the sight of Ami looking fully at home and comfortable; sprawled across her own bed in one of Rei's long, washed-out sleeping shirts and not much else. Rei let out a chuckle as she entered, letting her eyes travel over the girl laying on her stomach, her nose buried within a book. Long expanse of leg and thigh, spreading across the comforter, legs kicking lazily in the air. Ami smiled at her entrance but didn't tear her eyes away from the paperback in her hands.
"...Even when you're not studying you're reading..."

Ami's smile turned sly, her eyes flying across the page even as she spoke, leaning onto elbow and curling into a long, lazy stretch and turning onto her side, facing Rei.
"They're called novels. People read them. For fun."

"...you bury your nose away even in your time off."
Rei rolled her eyes with a light laugh, but her gaze fell back to the soft lines of fabric; the way the cloth stretched lightly around a firm chest, the soft outline of lean stomach, hem of shirt giving way to silky skin of thigh. Thighs, belonging to the most perfect legs Rei had ever seen; long and languid, light musculature ideally proportioned and stretched easily beneath soft curves and creamy contour. She couldn't help but watch the play of muscle beneath skin, dancing as petite, blue-painted toes curled cutely, the perfect round of ankle that gave way to flexing calf.

"I enjoy them."

With a fluid motion Ami rolled over, arching her back, causing the shirt to shift and ride up, just enough for a cheeky bit of deep red elastic to peek from below, involuntarily captivating Rei's gaze. A slight chuckle pulled her attention and she looked up to see Ami smiling at her broadly, watching her attentively, the book sitting lazily in her hands. "You're aware, that you're currently ogling your own underwear, right?"

"Ineedtobrushmyteeth."

A happy hum followed her out the door but she didn't risk looking back.

The rain was beating upon the roof of the shrine in a torrential downpour, muting the off-key voice of Grand-pa singing along to his favorite Enka in his room. A wet, mucky day; and Rei had spent all of it chipping away at shrine duties. Cleansing of the shrine, running the shop, along with the unannounced consultations and a long, deep meditation in front of her fire. The humid air and heat had left her sticky and ready for a long, hot shower to relieve her protesting muscles.

Rei sighed. Bracing her hands against the wall, she leaned in, dunking her head beneath the warm cascade of water. It ran down her body in rivulets, her hair clinging to her figure like a second skin. She turned her face up against the cascade of water, slicking her hair back as the refreshing stream ran over her.

She closed her eyes, letting the remnants of the last fire reading seep out of her body. She let her thoughts waft away freely, letting the 'other' drift away so she could be left with only herself again.

Naked. Vulnerable. Dirty.

Rei blinked, tilting her head as she focused on the familiar presence.
Ami.

The cool air wafted against her bare skin, as the shower door slid shut behind the girl with a click, barely audible over the rain and steam. Rei swallowed, laying forehead against cool tile. She knew better than to make any sudden moves when her lover was already feeling so vulnerable, and if she hadn't realized she was here alrea-

A jolt of panic ran through her body, so sharp she could have sworn it was her own sensation and not the reflected one.
"Don't."

With slow, cautious movements Rei readjusted, placing forearms against tile and laying head against it.
"Don't... turn around."

Rei nodded so meekly she wondered if the woman saw it. She could sense the panic edging away and bleeding into a quiet pause. She stilled, statuesquely patient as she felt the cool gaze wash over her bare form. She listened to the sharp, shivering intake of breath from the nymph behind her as hot blood rushed into her cheeks.

She stood for what seemed like an eternity as a tide of rampant emotions flooded over her and mingled with her own. Rei's eyes fluttered shut and she let out a deep, heated breath.

A ghost of a touch graced down her back, parting the mat of her hair and the stream cascading down her body. The light contact increased as a finger ran down her spine, across her fading scars and paused. A shiver ran through her body, as she felt her lover lean in and pressed, almost clawed her fingertips into her skin; slowly and sensually dragging her fingers up her back.

It took everything in her not to jerk in pleasure of the touch. She willed her body to keep its composure, forcing it not to respond and lean back into the searing sensation as goosebumps crawled up her body. Her body betrayed her, though, as a deep shiver ran through her and a shaky breath escaped her. The hands upon her paused and she could sense the gaze of deep eyes upon her. A kiss was placed lightly on shoulder-blade, and the the soft form of Ami laid itself against her.

The intensity sent her reeling. Rei pulled in a dark, strained breath as she felt firm breasts against her back. Tentative hands wrapped around her stomach and came to rest upon the spasming muscles. Rei's entire body was shaking, and she leaned her weight towards her hands still pressed firmly against tile to keep her knees from buckling. Soft lips were gently pressed against the base of her spine, the gentle touch of them burning holes into her skin, making her knees quiver. She both thanked and cursed her thick mane of hair that cloaked her back somewhat, preventing too much bare skin on skin. She wasn't sure she would be able to take much more attention. The arms around her tightened, the pressure of the naked body against her own made her dizzy. Rei felt a soft cheek against her shoulder.

She didn't know how long she stood there, shivering uncontrollably under the spray of hot water while Ami leaned against her. Most of that time, she spent fighting her own body, willing her legs to hold her weight as she battled her own raging hormones and let the sea of Ami's emotions wash over her.

To counter Rei's quivering form, Ami's was stock-still against her. Eventually, the weight of head on Rei's shoulder lifted away, and she could feel hot breath against her ear.

The fear that was Ami's had started to dissolve like a drop in a pool of water, but now it emerged back into her throat, tainting her voice, and left Rei's heart pounding in her chest.

"I'm sor-"

"Shhhh."
She turned her head sharply, cutting off the blunette's apology before she could get the words out.

The miko pulled her eyes open for the first time, and through the peripheral of her water-blurred vision, she saw Ami nod obediently, accepting. Ami's hands loosened themselves from their hold around the miko's stomach, and ran up her back one last time as Ami stepped away. Rei took opportunity of the given space, readjusting her weight more comfortably. She rocked her head back as a tension-filled, ragged breath escaped her.

As Ami's touch left her, Rei could feel her aura withdrawing as well. The blunette's voice was shaky but with an subtle calm.
"I'll... I'll just be outside until you're finished."

Rei nodded meekly, but otherwise didn't move. The bathroom door closed a moment later with a light click. Rei was fighting, clawing for breath; her vision was swimming as her knees finally gave out beneath her.

"How about that movie when we get an opening?"

"I still say we should go to the mall instead. We could all benefit from some new outfits. Just sayin'."

"I must agree, Mina-chan… providing those outfits happen to be free."

"Sorry, Minako, but we're all pretty close to broke. That's why we're doing a movie instead of… anything else. Saturday sound good?"

A resigned sigh.
"Fine. We can do a movie. But me and Usa are going shopping afterwards, still. So, tomorrow? In celebration of finals finally finishing? Yes, that sounds perfect!"

A laugh in response. "Feel free, Minako… We can all go our separate ways after the movie…" A hand beneath the table squeezed her own and Ami smiled, Rei giving her a discrete wink as she spoke. "Friday's good too. We just wanted to do something together... the five of us, you know… without the involvement of giant youmas and henshin pens. Or textbooks." The last part was accompanied with another, though less discrete wink directed at her.

A wistful sigh escaped their bubbly leader.
"Question is, which one is the lesser evil..."

Ignoring Mina, Rei pushed on. "So tomorrow evening then?"

The amazon brightened up, chiming in as well, her voice hopeful.
"Sure! As long as the job doesn't call back, I'm totally in."

Minako shot her a flirtatious grin across the table.
"What, and let work ruin our perfect triple-date!?" She winked. "If they want you, and they should, they will call again! Or else-... They don't deserve you. Like I do." Mina batted her eyes playfully at Makoto, who laughed offhandedly.

Usagi grinned, standing forcefully and planting her hands on the table."Well, that's settled! I'll tell Mamo to pick me up after school! Like... NOW!" With that, their blond leader made a swift exit, her nose already pressed against her cellphone as her digits flew across the pad at supersonic speed.

"Maybe we should teach her how to use speed-dial..." Ami chuckled.

Finally pulling her attention from Mako, Minako threw her hands victoriously in the air. "Awesome! It's settled, indeed! The movie's supposed to be super awesome! I heard, the guy in this movie played that other guy in the movie with the chase! You know, where the guy didn't do anything wrong but ended up in this mess and at the end fell in love with the girl he met on the way?!"

Ami smiled, listening to Mako falling for the guess-the-movie-game once again. Her gaze fell to Rei next to her. Beneath the table and away from everyone's prying eyes, she could feel the soft brush of fingertips against sensitive skin of wrist, running along with a light touch as Rei smiled at her. "Sounds like fun."

Rei's touch pulled away as if on a spring. Confused, Ami turned around, following the miko's intense gaze which had fallen on the empty doorway, as if waiting. A moment later Grandpa's form tottered into the room, smiling pleasantly at its inhabitants.

"Ami-dear, there's a call for you."

A knot formed in her stomach and corkscrewed around itself as she watched the girl leave the room with a lingering sense of impending doom. She could still hear the cheery voices of her trusted comrades around her bristling with excitement, but she didn't bother trying to make out their words.

She swallowed, realizing she had a lump in her throat, her tongue like sandpaper against the roof of her mouth. She waited, boring into the empty expanse of space where the blunette had disappeared to, but she didn't reappear.

What is taking her so long?

She recognized her name among the background noise and turned indifferently, her eyes searching for whoever had called her.

Mina's eyes were bright and worried, waiting for her when she turned.
"Rei? You okay?"

Her heart felt like a drum against her chest. Why was she so worried anyway? It was just a simple phone call - why did she have this sinking feeling in the back of her mind, smothering her in its tight grip, that cold shiver running down her spine, settling into the pit of her stomach?
"Huh? Yeah. Fine..."

"Are you su-?"
At the familiar steps of her beauty returning to the room, she whirled around, muting Mina's question on her lips with the sudden whip of hair. Rei jumped from her seat as if on springs, moving to meet Ami half-way as she entered the room.

"Ames? What's wrong?"
For a moment she didn't speak, the blunette's eyes glued to ground before them, devoid of anything. She sidestepped the miko, moving to her pile of textbooks at the table and Rei's breath left her. Ami didn't speak and the panic settled inside Rei, her heartbeat rushed and hollow in her tightened chest. Why wouldn't Ami look at her? Why did she suddenly feel so still, so quiet; the icy calm glacing over her aura until that was all she could feel? She pushed deeper, clawing at the connection but something stopped her, pushed her out.. Not unfamiliar.. but not her Ami, either.

Who...?

The rest of the room had quieted around her, watching them in strained silence.

Ami picked up a textbook and dropped it into bookbag.
"Uhm… N-nothing really. It's just…I have to go home today. Mother will be home and she likes to get whatever days off she can with me." The miko let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

Finally, Ami lifted her eyes to meet Rei's but they were dark and shallow, missing the warm depths that the miko recognized so well. She paused, listening, tuning out the bright colors of the rest of the room until all she felt was Ami before her - but she was empty. Even the thick impenetrable layer was gone, but there was nothing beneath it. An eerie quiet that she didn't trust, reflected in the eyes staring back at her.

She wanted to cry. To scream. To shake her. A million questions were running circles in her head but she had no answers to any of them. Instead, she only stared blankly back at the smaller girl before her.

She was helpless. She couldn't stop this. And the logical side of her brain kept asking why she wanted to. Why she needed to. Her voice sounded raspy, cold even to her own ears. "Oh. Yeah. I'll... ah.. I'll walk you home then, after the meeting."

Ami nodded, returning to take her place at the table as Rei echoed her movements beside her. She smiled, light and airy but unconvincing.
"Thanks."

A/N:
And, this concludes the second part of the fluffy Christmas episodes. There's a lot of sexual tension here - definitely something new to me. I was really against it but it seems weird that these girls are living together, co-habitating and even sleeping together without the topic coming up. It seemed really unrealistic and a bit shallow of me as a writer. - I feel like Mako could adequately capture every emotion of the human language with a 'huh.' I know I have her use it a lot but it just seems fitting. A huge thanks to Kue for making this chapter specifically (besides the complete Remaster as well) exist. She helped me with a lot of the stuff I was familiar with; maybe you'll recognize some of her parts if you look hard enough. :D Take care, everyone.